Fracino founder Frank Maxwell - who has been instrumental in powering the espresso coffee machine manufacturer to a global brand - is up for a lifetime achievement award.

Launching Fracino in a garden shed five and a half decades ago after stripping down a coffee machine bought on a family holiday to Italy, Frank 82, is applauded and respected by his industry as ‘the oracle of espresso’.

A visionary and entrepreneur, Frank pioneered the production of espresso machines in the UK - dispelling the myth that only the Italians could produce the perfect espresso machine.Every time the UK economy was hit by a downturn, Frank’s entrepreneurial flair and tenacity saw him expand when others were downsizing.An engineer by trade, Frank laid the groundwork in the dynamic journey of the UK’s only manufacturer of traditional espresso machines - which operates one of the world’s most advanced and efficient espresso equipment manufacturing facilities - and exports to over 70 countries.Becoming chairman in 2007, Frank remains key to the strategy and decision making of the third generation family business. Making a valuable contribution in areas including corporate governance, Frank also maintains a ‘hands on’ role working ‘in’ the business on an almost daily basis. His impressive track record prompted judges to place Frank in the final line up of Family Business United’s Lifetime Achievement category - the winner of which will be announced in London on June 7.

Fracino MD, Adrian Maxwell, said: “The greatest asset dad has is his vision and business nous and ways to make the business work, how to finance it and move it forward. We have made the perfect team and I still run ideas past him now.“He is an outstanding role model for creating a powerful legacy - and his shining example is one I am proud to follow as I give my children the choice to continue Frank’s legacy to the next generation.”